Need advice on coming out to my spouse

I was a Protestant, a sort of evangelical, but not dogmatic in the sense of being intolerant of others. I married a Catholic. Now, five years later, I've shed any remaining pretense of religion for myself. I haven't told my wife yet. Has anyone else gone through this? How did it work out?

If one is a believer, then doctrine says that the god of Abraham is a punisher. I would focus on questioning why those who blatantly deny him are not being punished, as well as why so many sinful Christians are being rewarded instead of punished. 'He works in mysterious ways' can only go so far, I would think.

I see where you're going. But you're assuming she's a dogmatic/by the book type of believer. She's not. She's a believer because that's all she knows how to be. She hasn't really thought it through, and I'm trying to help with that.

The Socratic method may help as well. Peter Boghossian's A Manual For Creating Atheists has created a real stir in the atheist community for its deft and well-thought-out approach to discussions with believers regarding their faith.

I am in the process of reading it now and am very impressed with it. I believe it is worth your time as well.

"He works in mysterious ways" accommodated Nazi concentration camps and the plagues of the Middle Ages ... so it can accommodate anything. As long as there's a person left after the catastrophe to say it.

Just wanted to bring this thread to a close: My wife and I talked it out and she's okay with it. I think it helped that I didn't unload it all on her at once. I slowly but surely expressed a doubt here and a misgiving there until it became fairly clear that I no longer believe in God. And she's really good with it.

Next step is talking about the kids, but that is between her and me, and not something I intend to discuss here.